Ministry of Magic
The Ministry of Magic is the fictional government of the Magical community of Britain in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. First mentioned in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the Ministry makes its first proper appearance in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Throughout the books, it is generally depicted as either corrupt, incompetent or both, its high officials blind to actual events and dangers in the wizarding world, reaching a nadir of corruption during the uprising of the antagonist Lord Voldemort. Composition and status Connection to "Muggle" world Each new Muggle Prime Minister receives a visit from the Minister for Magic, who informs him or her that the wizarding world exists. He explains that he will contact the Prime Minister only in circumstances in which the events of the wizard world may affect Muggles. For example, the Minister has to inform the Prime Minister if dangerous magical artefacts or animals are to be brought into Britain. , chapter 1 The Ministry keeps in touch with the British Prime Minister via a wizard's portrait in the Prime Minister's office at 10 Downing Street. The portrait, which cannot be removed from the wall (because of a Permanent Sticking Charm in place), notifies the Prime Minister of the Minister for Magic's arrival and, after they have been notified, the Minister for Magic appears in their office via the fireplace which has specifically been hooked up to the floo network. The Ministers for Magic who appear in the Harry Potter series, such as Cornelius Fudge and Rufus Scrimgeour, tend to act in a somewhat patronising manner towards the Muggle Prime Minister. The Ministry government succeeded the earlier "Wizards' Council," the earliest-known form of government for the wizarding world of Harry Potter. Government structure In the Harry Potter books, the Ministry's employees appear to be a largely unelected body. The post of Minister itself, however, is stated to be an elected position.Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, chapter 10 Who has the power to elect or dismiss ministers is never explained. Nevertheless, both the Minister and the Ministry as a whole are seen throughout the Harry Potter series to be highly sensitive to (and reliant on) wizard public opinion, which they attempt to influence via the Daily Prophet, the wizarding newspaper. In the books, employment with the Ministry can be obtained right after completion of a wizarding education , though different offices require different levels of education and sometimes specific exam results. Furthermore, the government gives the impression of (at various times) either incompetence or malice. It often appears woefully incompetent, to the point of being unable to detect or prevent an assault on the Department of Mysteries, apparently its most heavily guarded department. Due to lax security, a group of mere Hogwarts students, as well as Voldemort, a dozen Death Eaters, and the Order of the Phoenix, all of whom were wanted by the government, are able to enter the department on whim and without provoking any response whatsoever, even signing in as a "rescue mission" without attracting attention. However, these events occurred under Cornelius Fudge's reign, a Minister who is renowned in the books as corrupt and incompetent. Fudge's Resignation in the next book is hinted to be as a direct result of these events. Judicial system and corrupt nature In the books and films, the wizarding courts have displayed at times, a marked lack of interest in evidence for or against a suspect, even relying on personal prejudice to decide the outcome as quickly as possible. Not all of the accused are even given trials, as in the case of Sirius Black. In Order of the Phoenix, the Ministry is shown to be quite prepared to decree and enforce draconian laws without notice. At times, the Ministry can also seem uninterested in solving serious problems, choosing instead to ignore or cover up bad news. In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Minister Fudge takes a long while to respond to the attacks on Hogwarts (however it could be argued that Fudge was willing to give Albus Dumbledore a fair chance to deal with the crisis within his (Dumbledore's) own power). In the fifth instalment, Fudge refuses to believe that Lord Voldemort has returned, despite mounting evidence. The Ministry even mounts a campaign to damage Harry Potter's credibility, an effort fuelled in part by Fudge's Self Inflicted persecutory delusions and paranoid fear that Albus Dumbledore wants his job. Eventually, the Ministry is forced to acknowledge the emergency and act on it (along with the fact that they were lying the whole time). Fudge is removed from office for incompetence and replaced by Rufus Scrimgeour. When interviewed, Rowling stated that when Harry, Ron and Hermione work for the Ministry, they change it drastically, making it less corrupt. Ministers for Magic At the close of the series, the Minister for Magic (Minister of Magic in American versions) in Britain is Kingsley Shacklebolt. He replaced Voldemort's puppet Pius Thicknesse, who had been placed under the Imperius Curse and put in power after Voldemort killed Scrimgeour, who had replaced Fudge. The following is a list of known Ministers for Magic and their tenures in office:HP 1,2,3,4,5,6,7; W.O.M.B.A.T.'s at J.K. Rowling's Official Site, Chocolate Frog Cards from the video games and Pottermore *'Eldritch Diggory' (?–?) – according to Garrick Ollivander, he was one of the most accomplished Ministers in history, and owned a "fine" poplar wand purchased at Ollivanders Wand Shop. *'Lorcan McLaird' (?–?) – a former Ravenclaw at Hogwarts School; quite a talented wizard, but was considered something of an eccentric, as he liked to communicate by puffing smoke from the tip of his wand. *'Dugald McPhail' (?–?) – a former Hufflepuff at Hogwarts School; led a "successful" term in the post. *'Unctuous Osbert' (late 18th century) – controversially considered a "puppet" in the hands of Septimus Malfoy, one of Draco Malfoy's ancestors. *'Artemisia Lufkin' (1798–1811) – the first female ever to hold the office. *'Grogan Stump' (1811–1819) – particularly addressed the nomenclature of wizarding creatures, establishing the current classifications of "Beast", "Being" and "Spirit", thus settling a debate that had being going in the wizarding world since the fourteenth century. *'Ottaline Gambol' (early-to-mid 19th century) – responsible for the introduction of the Hogwarts Express as a means of student conveyance to and from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. *'Evangeline Orpington' (1849–1855) – according to Garrick Ollivander, she was one of the most accomplished Ministers in history, and owned a "fine" poplar wand purchased at Ollivanders Wand Shop. Despite the fact that Minister Ottaline Gambol was the one to introduce the Hogwarts Express, it was Orpington who hit upon the idea of adding a concealed platform (Platform Nine and Three-Quarters) at King's Cross Station that could only be accessed by witches and wizards. *'Faris "Spout-Hole" Spavin' (1865–1903) – Minister against whom there was an assassination attempt made by a centaur. *'Nobby Leach' (1962–1968) – the first Muggle-born on the post; left the office due to a shady plot of Abraxas Malfoy's orchestration *'Millicent Bagnold' (1980–1990) – elected in the height of the First Wizarding War, she was the Minister in office during James and Lily Potter's murders, Lord Voldemort's first downfall, and the Death Eater captures, in the early 1980s. *'Cornelius Fudge' (1990–1996) – failed to act against Lord Voldemort, who was growing in power in the mid-1990s, as he refused to believe in his return; when unmistakable evidence was made public that Voldemort was once again active and powerful, Fudge was sacked. *'Rufus Scrimgeour' (1996 – 1 August 1997) – former Head of the Auror Office; created the appearance of safety and security, while in truth Scrimgeour's efforts were wanting in progress in the war. He was killed by Death Eaters, and the Ministry fell to Lord Voldemort's control. *'Pius Thicknesse' (1 August 1997 – 2 May 1998) – former Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement; Thicknesse was put under the influence of Voldemort by means of the Imperius Curse. *'Kingsley Shacklebolt' (1998 – present) – appointed Acting Minister for Magic after the Battle of Hogwarts, but was later made permanent Minister. Instrumental in reshuffling the Ministry thoroughly and in the repairs of the wizarding world following Voldemort's reign of terror. He managed to revolutionise the way that the Ministry worked, and with Hermione Granger, managed to abolish the pro-pureblood laws, discrimination, and corruption. Albus Dumbledore was offered the job of Minister and refused it at least three times. In his latter days at Hogwarts, Tom Marvolo Riddle was widely predicted to become Minister due to his intelligence, magical talent, and ability to forge alliances with the people around him and to gather followers to serve his interests. Riddle, however, refused all offers of assistance to find work at the Ministry. Department of Magical Law Enforcement Arguably the most important of the various departments, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement is a combination of police and justice facilities. It is located on the second level of the Ministry of Magic. At the beginning of the series, it is headed by Amelia Bones, who is replaced by Pius Thicknesse after Voldemort murders her. Thicknesse is replaced by Yaxley in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows after Voldemort has Thicknesse appointed the puppet Minister for his regime. Bartemius Crouch Sr. once headed the department, prior to the first book. According to Rowling, this is the department that Hermione Granger joins, after the events of the seventh book, transferring from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, where she began her post-Hogwarts career. Auror Office An Auror is an employee of the Ministry whose mission is to pursue and apprehend Dark wizards. According to Minerva McGonagall, the Auror Office takes in new recruits with a minimum of 5 N.E.W.T.s (with marks no lower than "Exceeds Expectations"). She suggests that Potions, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Charms, and Herbology N.E.W.T.s are the most appropriate for someone who aspires to be admitted to the training program. (A potential recruit will also have to pass "...a series of character and aptitude tests.") Nymphadora Tonks mentions that two of the program's courses of study are "Concealment and Disguise" and "Stealth and Tracking" and that the training is hard to pass with high marks (a requirement). Aurors in the Harry Potter series include Alastor Moody, Nymphadora Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt, John Dawlish, Frank and Alice Longbottom, Rufus Scrimgeour, Gawain Robards, Proudfoot, Savage, and Williamson. According to Rowling, Harry Potter joins the department at the age of 17 and is promoted to department head in the year 2007. Ron Weasley becomes a member of the Auror office as well.Exclusive: Finished ‘Potter’? Rowling tells what happens next – Wild about Harry – MSNBC.com During the First War against Voldemort, Aurors were authorised to use the Unforgivable Curses on suspected Death Eaters: that is, given the license to kill, coerce and torture them. Many of the Dark criminals in the Harry Potter universe first duel with the Aurors sent to arrest them before finally giving up their freedom. Aurors are also used to protect high-profile targets such as Harry, Hogwarts, and the Muggle Prime Minister. Improper Use of Magic Office The Improper Use of Magic Office is responsible for investigating offences under the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery and the International Confederation of Wizards' Statute of Secrecy. They regulate an under-age wizard's or witch's use of magic and prohibit wizards and witches from performing magic in the presence of Muggles or in a Muggle-inhabited area in the Harry Potter universe. An enchantment called "the Trace" is placed upon children and helps the department detect offences; it breaks at age 17. However, Dumbledore explains to Harry that the Ministry cannot tell who exactly uses magic in a given area, only that it has been used, meaning that Muggle-born wizard minors are more likely than others to be caught if they use magic. The Ministry has to rely on wizard and witch parents to enforce the ban on underage magic within their homes. After Harry's first minor violation—a Hover charm that was actually performed by Dobby the House-elf—he is merely warned. His second violation, blowing up his Aunt Marge, is forgiven by Fudge because the Minister fears that Sirius Black is after Harry and feels that his safety after running away from the Dursleys takes precedence. After his third offence (creating a Patronus to protect himself and Dudley from two Dementors), the letter sent to him states that he is expelled from school, that representatives will arrive at his home to destroy his wand, and that he is required to appear at a disciplinary hearing, given that the offence occurred after he had already received one warning. Dumbledore reminds Fudge that the Ministry doesn't have the power to expel students from Hogwarts or confiscate wands without benefit of a hearing. At Harry's hearing, he is tried by the entire Wizengamot court and cleared of all charges upon Dumbledore's intervention. Such proceedings are highly unusual, however, for a simple case of underage magic; Harry was originally supposed to be interviewed solely by Amelia Bones, head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. The only known worker at the office is Mafalda Hopkirk. Wizengamot The Wizengamot serves as the wizard high court of law. The word "Wizengamot" is a portmanteau created from the words "wizard", and "Witenagemot", which was a council of powerful people summoned to advise and appoint kings in Anglo-Saxon England. The word derives from the Old English for "meeting of wise men" (witan – wise man or counsellor / gemot – assembly). In Order of the Phoenix, about fifty people are present at Harry Potter's hearing, wearing plum-coloured robes embroidered with a silver "W" on the left-hand side of the chest. During the hearing, the Minister for Magic sits in the middle of the front row and conducts most of the interrogation, while Percy Weasley (the Junior Undersecretary), acts as stenographer. Other officials seen at the Wizengamot include the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister and the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Dumbledore has long – for about 50 years – held the position of Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, but was removed during the period coinciding with Order of the Phoenix. "The high Wizard court of law, held in a dungeon; the accused is magically bound to a chair in the center of the room. A jury sits on the right of the prosecutor who states the case against the accused and eventually asks for a verdict. The courtrooms are located on the tenth level of the Ministry of Magic; during the Voldemort years, prisoners are escorted and guarded by groups of Dementors (GF30). The members of the Wizengamot, of which there are about fifty, wear plum-covered robes with elaborate silver initials on them..."http://www.hp-lexicon.org/essays/essay-ministry-history.html, Other Offices Other offices include the Magical Law Enforcement Squad, which pursues day-to-day law offences; the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, headed by Perkins, and the job in which the reader first sees Arthur Weasley; and the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects Office, created by Rufus Scrimgeour in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, into which Mr. Weasley is promoted, to be its head. Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes The Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes is responsible for repairing accidental magical damage in the world of Harry Potter. It is located on the third level of the Ministry of Magic and houses the following offices: *The Accidental Magic Reversal Squad is a squad of wizards whose job it is to reverse "accidental magic." These accidents are normally caused by young witches and wizards who have not learned to control their magic. They may also be caused by older wizards out of control, or severe, unintentional effects of charms or spells, such as splinching (in Apparation when a wizard or witch is split with one part remaining at the point of origin, and the rest of the wizard at the destination). For instance, the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad was sent out in the Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban book when Harry Potter inflated his Aunt Marge; they "deflated" her and erased her memory (the memory modification done by Obliviators). *The Obliviator Headquarters. "Obliviator" is the designation for a Ministry of Magic employee who has the task of modifying the memory of a Muggle who witnesses incidents belonging to the Wizarding world. They are first called so in the sixth volume, although the practice is mentioned in the previous novels: any wizard can modify memories in the Harry Potter books by using the spell "Obliviate". In contrast to the incompetence displayed by the Ministry as a whole, the Obliviators appear to perform their task with a near-perfect success rate, keeping the Muggle world completely oblivious to the existence of the Wizarding World. *The Muggle-Worthy Excuse Committee explains any major magical accidents to the Muggles by creating a non-magical reason for the accident. For example, Peter Pettigrew killed twelve Muggle bystanders and tore apart the street (so as to reach the sewer pipe and escape) by means of an immense explosion curse during his altercation with Sirius Black. The massive and obvious damage and mortality was explained by the committee as due to a tragic accidental explosion of the gas main. Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures As noted in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures is divided into three divisions (the Beast Division, the Being Division, and the Spirit Division) and contains the Goblin Liaison Office and Centaur Liaison Office, though the centaurs, being isolationists, have never interacted with the office since its creation. Thus, "being sent to the Centaur Office" has become a euphemism at the Ministry for those about to be fired. For further detail on the distinctions between these divisions, see Regulation and classification of Magical creatures. It is also noted that Hermione began her post-Hogwarts career here before transferring to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement in this office. It is located on the fourth level of the Ministry of Magic. Clause 73 of the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy reads: Department of International Magical Cooperation The Department of International Magical Cooperation is an agency that attempts to get wizards from different countries to cooperate in wizarding actions both political and public. This department on the fifth level of the Ministry of Magic includes the headquarters of the International Magical Trading Standards Body, the International Magical Office of Law, and the British seats of the International Confederation of Wizards. The former head was Barty Crouch, Sr., until his death. This is also where Percy Weasley began his Ministry career. This department is similar in function to the real-life British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and various organs of the United Nations. ;Duties * work with magical governments of other countries * sets standards for trade * creates regulations for things like cauldron thickness * worked with Department of Magical Games and Sports on the Triwizard Tournament * International Confederation of Wizards, British Seats Department of Magical Transportation The Department of Magical Transportation is responsible for various aspects of magical transport. It is located on the sixth level of the Ministry of Magic and includes the following offices: the Floo Network Authority, responsible for setting up and maintaining the network, and distributing the greenish floo powder; the Broom Regulatory Control, that controls the traffic of broom travel; the Portkey Office, the regulation of Portkeys; and the Apparition Test Centre, that grants licences to witches and wizards so that they can apparate. Department of Magical Games and Sports The Department of Magical Games and Sports, seen as the most relaxed department (posters for favourite Quidditch teams are found tacked to the walls), deals with organising sports events the likes of the Quidditch World Cup and the Triwizard Tournament. Ludo Bagman used to be the Head of Department here, but his gambling problem forced him to flee from Goblin creditors. The department is located on the seventh level of the Ministry of Magic, and includes the British and Irish Quidditch League Headquarters, Official Gobstones Club, and the Ludicrous Patents Office – other sports and games-related aspects of the Harry Potter world. Department of Mysteries The Department of Mysteries, located on Level Nine is a department in the Ministry of Magic which studies particular enigmas (death, time, space, thought, and love) and stores copies of prophecies made in the Harry Potter universe. During Voldemort's discriminatory regime, he forces the department to lie and claim that Muggle-borns actually steal magic from Pure-bloods, making them "illegal magicals" and allowing their arrest. Because of the covert nature surrounding this particular branch of the Wizarding government, the Department of Mysteries can be likened to real-world intelligence agencies like the CIA or MI6, in that most of their operations are kept in total secrecy from the general wizard populace. However, the primary operations of the department seem to be more like those of scientists, the department attempting to uncover the sources and rules that govern magic. The rooms at the Department each seem (although not spelled out directly) to refer to various mysteries of life. These rooms include: Unspeakables The Unspeakables are the group of wizards who work in the Department of Mysteries (their identities classified for security reasons). Known Unspeakables include Broderick Bode, Croaker, and Augustus Rookwood who is a Death Eater. Ministry officials , from left to right: John Dawlish, auror; Dolores Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister; Cornelius Fudge, Minister for Magic; and Kingsley Shacklebolt, auror.]] The following characters are notable Ministry of Magic officials. Arthur Weasley, Kingsley Shacklebolt and Nymphadora Tonks are listed under Order of the Phoenix. Yaxley is listed under Death Eaters. Ludo Bagman '''Ludovic "Ludo" Bagman' is a former, highly successful Beater for the Wimbourne Wasps and England's international team, whose good looks have gone a bit to seed; his nose is squashed in (apparently having been broken by a stray bludger) and he is quite a bit thicker around the middle than he was in his Quidditch days. He was the head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports. Rowling uses Dumbledore's Pensieve to reveal in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire that Bagman was accused of being a Death Eater about thirteen years before the events of the fourth book because he had given information to recently discovered Death Eater Augustus Rookwood. It is stated that he had believed Rookwood, who was his father's friend, to be beyond suspicion, and that, consequently, he had thought that he was aiding the Ministry by passing the information on to him. Bagman loves gambling, which got him in financial trouble so severe that he pays some of his creditors with disappearing Leprechaun Gold, after they have gambled on the Quidditch World Cup. After the World Cup final, some goblins corner him in the woods outside the stadium and take all the gold he had on him, which is not enough to cover his debts. To clear his debts with the goblins, Bagman makes a bet on the Triwizard Tournament, of which he is one of the judges. He bets the goblins that Harry would win. He tries to help Harry over the course of the Tournament, giving him a perfect score in the First Task even though he is injured, and offering him advice. Harry and Cedric Diggory end up tying for first place in the tournament, and Bagman does not win the bet as the goblins argue that Bagman was betting Harry would win outright. Bagman runs away after the Third Task of the Tournament. Bagman's character was cut from the film adaptation of the fourth book. Some of Ludo's primary functions in the story were performed by Cornelius Fudge and Barty Crouch Sr, in the film adaptation. Bagman appears in the Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup video game as a Quidditch announcer. Barty Crouch, Sr Bartemius "Barty" Crouch, Sr was the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement when Voldemort first came to power. Crouch was somewhat megalomaniacal and intensely preoccupied with presenting the appearance of respectability. Crouch was a narrow, inflexible man who stiffly followed the rules. Though he despised the Dark Arts, the lengths to which he was willing to go in order to disassociate with anything that might blemish his reputation led him to behave almost as cruelly as many on the Dark Side, and gave Aurors powers to kill rather than capture suspected Death Eaters who resisted arrest. He sent Sirius Black to the wizard prison Azkaban without a trial. Crouch appeared to be the favourite to become the next Minister for Magic until his son, Barty Crouch, Jr, was caught with the Lestranges, Death Eaters who were trying to bring Voldemort back to power. Crouch gave his son a trial before sending him to Azkaban; however, according to Sirius, the trial was a sham, merely a public demonstration of how much he hated the boy. About a year after the trial, Crouch's terminally ill wife begged for her son's life to be saved, so Crouch abetted the two in trading appearances using Polyjuice Potion, and Mrs. Crouch took her son's place in Azkaban. After the supposed death of his son in prison, public sympathy fell on Crouch Jr; the wizarding world placed all the blame on Crouch Sr, accusing him of driving his son to join the Death Eaters because of his neglect of his family. After the scandal, Crouch lost much of his popularity and he was shunted sideways to a post as the head of the Department of International Magical Co-operation. Barty Crouch, Sr makes his first appearance in the series at the Quidditch world cup in Goblet of Fire. Crouch accuses Harry, Ron and Hermione of attempting to set off the Dark Mark, and when Winky is found to have Harry’s wand, he angrily dismisses Winky, as the house-elf is supposed to look after his son, who is always under an Invisibility Cloak. Voldemort and his servant Peter Pettigrew show up at the Crouch family home and put Crouch Sr under the Imperius Curse, freeing Crouch Jr from the Imperius Curse placed on him by his father and thus allowing him to rejoin Voldemort. Crouch continues to appear in public at first and is one of the five judges at the Triwizard Tournament. However, worried that Crouch will fight off the Imperius Curse, Voldemort later keeps him imprisoned within the house and has him communicate exclusively through supervised owl post. Later in the book, Crouch, who has escaped from his home, meets Harry and Viktor Krum in the Forbidden Forest and begs to see Dumbledore. However, Harry, while on his way to inform Dumbledore of the events, unwittingly alerts Crouch Jr, in the disguise of Mad-Eye Moody, to his father's presence. Crouch Jr immediately goes to the Forest, kills his own father, transfigures the body into a bone, and buries it on the Hogwarts grounds. Roger Lloyd-Pack appeared as Crouch in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. In contrast to a spiteful, rather contemptible portrayal in the book, the film portrays him as somewhat more sympathetic; he appears dismayed upon learning that his son is a Death Eater, rather than convicting him to Azkaban. John Dawlish John Dawlish is an Auror. He is very capable and self-assured, and is described as a "tough-looking wizard" with "very short, wiry" grey hair. He leaves Hogwarts with Outstandings in all his N.E.W.T.s, (Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Test). However, it is a running joke of the books that in any appearance or mention of him, he is eventually hexed, usually due to a combination of far superior opponents and sheer bad luck. In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Dawlish accompanies Fudge to Hogwarts to confront Harry about the secret Dumbledore's Army meetings. Dawlish is knocked out along with Fudge, Umbridge, and Kingsley when Dumbledore, who put the blame for the Army on himself, escapes. A few weeks later, Dawlish is among the wizards who attempt to arrest Rubeus Hagrid when Umbridge sacks the gamekeeper. Still later, Dawlish arrives at the Ministry of Magic with Fudge after the battle at the Department of Mysteries is over. Fudge then sends him to attend to the captured Death Eaters. Dawlish appears again in Half-Blood Prince guarding Hogwarts after the commencement of the Second War. He is sent to follow Dumbledore when the Headmaster leaves school to search for Voldemort's Horcruxes, but is "regretfully" hexed by the Headmaster. He is Confunded by an Order member early on in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and gives Death Eater Yaxley false information on Harry's removal from the Dursleys' home. Being Confunded, he is defeated by Dirk Cresswell, who escapes halfway on the way to Azkaban. Later, Dawlish is sent to arrest Augusta Longbottom. After a struggle, her attack places Dawlish in St Mungo's Hospital. Dawlish's first name is not revealed in the books or films. However, Rowling said in an interview with the podcast "PotterCast" that she named him John, owing to host John Noe's appreciation of the character. Dawlish was portrayed by Richard Leaf in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Cornelius Fudge Cornelius Oswald Fudge is first mentioned in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone as the Minister for Magic of Britain. He makes his first appearance in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets when he arrives at the school to take Hagrid to Azkaban, even though he does not firmly believe that Hagrid is guilty. He also removes Dumbledore as Headmaster when pressured by Lucius Malfoy who insisted that all the school governors had voted on it. However, it is not until Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban that Fudge meets Harry for the first time. Fudge does not press charges against Harry for accidentally inflating Aunt Marge, and advises him to be careful because an escaped convict is at large. When Fudge goes for a social drink at the Three Broomsticks pub, he inadvertently tells an unseen Harry that Sirius was James Potter's best friend and was believed to have betrayed the Potters to Voldemort. Fudge allowed the near-execution of Buckbeak to occur, once again intimidated by Lucius Malfoy. In this book, it is revealed that, before becoming Minister of Magic, he worked in the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes. His kindly relationship to Harry abruptly changes in Goblet of Fire. When Harry emerges from the Triwizard Tournament's third task after having seen the rebirth of Voldemort, Fudge refuses to believe it. He is worried about the fallout of announcing Voldemort's return, marking the end of the Wizarding world's years of peace, and the sudden outbreak of gloom and terror; hence he decides to merely ignore all of the evidence rather than accept the truth. The author has since stated that Fudge's behaviour mirrors that of Neville Chamberlain in the lead-up to World War II."J. K. Rowling Discusses Inspiration for Minister of Magic and More in New Interview", The Leaky Cauldron, 4 February 2008. Retrieved 4 February 2008. In Order of the Phoenix, Fudge orchestrates a vicious smear campaign through the Daily Prophet to present Dumbledore as a senile old fool (even though he was constantly asking for Dumbledore's advice in his early days of being Minister of Magic) and Harry as an unstable, attention-seeking liar. He also passes a law allowing him to place Dolores Umbridge, his Senior Undersecretary, as a teacher at Hogwarts. He then appoints Umbridge as Hogwarts' "High Inquisitor", with the power to inspect and sack teachers, and ultimately Dumbledore's successor as Headmaster, which gives her (and by extension, Fudge himself) primary control of how Hogwarts is managed. Fudge is concerned that Dumbledore is a threat to his power and that he is planning to train the Hogwarts students to overthrow the Ministry. After Voldemort appears in the Ministry of Magic at the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, Fudge resigns from his position of Minister for Magic after the wizarding community calling his resignation and is replaced by Rufus Scrimgeour, though he stays on as an advisor in Half-Blood Prince. Fudge is last mentioned in the series as one of the attendees at Dumbledore's funeral; his fate during Voldemort's takeover of the Ministry during the following year is unknown. In the film series, Fudge is portrayed by Robert Hardy. Bertha Jorkins Bertha Jorkins was a student at Hogwarts at the same time as James Potter and company. She was known as nosy, with a good head for gossip. She became a Ministry of Magic employee after leaving Hogwarts. In the summer before the events of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, she was killed by Voldemort. Rowling later revealed that her death was used to turn Nagini, Voldemort's snake, into a Horcrux. Some months before her murder, she accidentally discovered that Barty Crouch, Jr, who supposedly died in Azkaban prison, was still alive and being hidden by his father. Barty Crouch Sr. silenced her with a powerful Memory Charm, which made her a little befuddled. Voldemort irreparably damaged her mentally and physically while breaking the Memory Charm, through which he gained information about the Triwizard Tournament and Crouch Jr. During the duel between Harry and Voldemort in the graveyard at Little Hangleton, Bertha is one of the shadows that spills out from Voldemort's wand and helps Harry escape. She appears to be wiser after her death, and supports Harry during The Goblet of Fire so he can defeat Voldemort, her murderer. Bertha Jorkins's character was written out of the film adaptation of Goblet of Fire due to time constraints. Rufus Scrimgeour Rufus Scrimgeour serves as the Minister for Magic of the United Kingdom, succeeding Cornelius Fudge who was ousted by the wizarding community due to his failure to announce the return of Voldemort, discrediting Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore and Dolores Umbridge became Headmistress of Hogwarts, from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince until his death in the following book. He is described as looking like an old lion with tawny hair and bushy eyebrows, with yellow eyes and wire-rimmed spectacles. Before being selected as minister, Scrimgeour headed the Auror Office of the Ministry and he is heavily battle-scarred from his years of service as an Auror, giving him an appearance of shrewd toughness. As minister, he visits the Muggle Prime Minister with Fudge, now an advisor, to inform him about recent wizarding events, crucial to internal security. Scrimgeour proves to be a more capable leader than Fudge. Scrimgeour seeks to raise the wizarding population's morale by asking Harry, who has been labelled as the "Chosen One", to be seen visiting the Ministry, so that the public would believe that Harry supports the Ministry's actions against Voldemort. This becomes a source of contention between the Minister and Dumbledore, who does not support this idea. Harry also rejects the role, primarily because of his own antagonistic history with the Ministry, and because of the Ministry's treatment of Dumbledore and Stan Shunpike.Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince; 2005; Chapter 16; Pages 345–347 (American edition). Scrimgeour makes a short appearance in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows at The Burrow with Dumbledore's will. Scrimgeour is assassinated shortly after the visit when Death Eaters take over the Ministry. He is rumoured to have been tortured for Harry's whereabouts by Ministry officials, under the control of the Imperius Curse, before he is killed. Harry felt a "rush of gratitude" to hear that Scrimgeour, in his final act, attempted to protect Harry by refusing to disclose his location. With the Ministry in Death Eaters' hands, the official line for Scrimgeour's death is that he resigned. Bill Nighy played Scrimgeour briefly at the beginning of [[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)|the Half-Blood Prince film]] and in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, he is played as being Welsh. Pius Thicknesse Pius Thicknesse is first introduced in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. He is the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the start of the book, when he is placed under the Imperius Curse by Yaxley, who uses his position to infiltrate the senior ranks of the Ministry. Thicknesse is described as a man with long hair and a beard, which are mostly black but tinged with some grey, along with a great overhanging forehead and glinting eyes. Harry's immediate impression is of "a crab looking out from beneath a rock." After the coup in which Scrimgeour is killed, the Ministry comes under the de facto control of Voldemort, who appoints Thicknesse as his puppet Minister. Thicknesse joins the ranks of the Death Eaters for the rest of the book and fights with them at the Battle of Hogwarts, where he duels against Percy Weasley (who Transfigures him into a sea urchin). Following the end of the battle, the Imperius Curse that was placed upon him is broken. Kingsley Shacklebolt replaces him as interim (later permanent) Minister for Magic. Not much is known about the "real" nature of Thicknesse, as he has been under the control of Yaxley for nearly the entire book. Guy Henry plays Thicknesse in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 and Part 2, in which he is portrayed as being a Death Eater even before Scrimgeour's death; there is no mention of the Imperius Curse being used to secure his support. In Part 2, Thicknesse is killed by Voldemort himself. Dolores Umbridge Dolores Jane Umbridge is the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. She is a short, squat woman described as resembling a large pale toad, with "short, curly, mouse-brown hair". She speaks with a quiet, childish, high-pitched voice, and loves kittens, chocolate cakes, biscuits, tea and other cute things, decorating her office with related paraphernalia. She has a tendency to speak to people she feels are her lessers in a very condescending tone, as if they are simpletons or very young children. Umbridge is first presented as an interrogator at Harry's trial for under-age use of magic in the opening chapters of Order of the Phoenix. It is later revealed that Umbridge herself had ordered the Dementors to attack Harry in an attempt to silence him from contradicting the Ministry's claim about Voldemort not returning from the dead.Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Chapter 32: "Out of the Fire" Umbridge is subsequently installed at Hogwarts as Defence Against the Dark Arts professor by order of the Ministry. Her teaching consists only of defensive magical theory, due to Fudge's paranoid fear that Dumbledore intends to use his students as an army to bring down the Ministry. She is soon appointed the first "High Inquisitor" of Hogwarts, in which she is given extraordinary powers over the students, teachers, and curriculum. She dismisses Sybill Trelawney as a teacher, though Dumbledore points out she cannot send them away from the school itself. Ultimately, she deposes Dumbledore after he 'confesses' to plotting against the Ministry to prevent Harry being expelled, and has herself instated as Headmistress by the Ministry. However the Headmaster's Office (the room itself) rejects her authority by sealing her out, meaning she has to continue to use her own office. She creates the "Inquisitorial Squad", which rewards its student members for reporting on others and sanctions them to act as enforcers of Umbridge's rules, including the ability to take points from the other students for the House Cup competition. All the members of the Inquisatorial Squad are Slytherins. Her authority is initially challenged by Fred and George, who leave after turning a corridor into a swamp and bombarding Umbridge with fireworks. She then faces trouble from the students and Peeves at every opportunity, with the teachers doing very little to stop them. Filch the Caretaker tries to help her, delighted at being given permission to whip students, but there is too much trouble for him to keep order. Towards the final chapters of Order of the Phoenix, Umbridge attacks Hagrid, but her attempt is thwarted partly due to Hagrid's half-giant heritage which grants relative immunity to spells. Hagrid escapes Hogwarts, and Minerva McGonagall is severely injured by Umbridge's followers and is sent to St. Mungo's hospital, clearing the way for Umbridge to assume complete control of the school. Umbridge's time at Hogwarts is characterised by cruelty and abusive punishments against students; she forces Harry Potter, Lee Jordan and other students to whom she gave detention to write lines using a blood quill, which cuts the same words written into its victims as they write. Umbridge even attempts to use Veritaserum and the Cruciatus Curse in order to extract information from students. By speaking derisively to a herd of centaurs, she provokes them and they abduct her. Umbridge is rescued visibly unharmed, but traumatised, by Dumbledore, and is eventually removed from Hogwarts due to the wizarding community protesting Fudge for his resignation. She later makes a short appearance in Half-Blood Prince when she attends Dumbledore's funeral with an unconvincing expression of grief and Harry is disgusted to hear that Rufus Scrimgeour has continued to employ her at the Ministry of Magic. Umbridge plays a smaller role in Deathly Hallows as the head of the Muggle-born Registration Commission, and appears to have written a leaflet called "Mudbloods and the Dangers They Pose to a Peaceful Pure-Blood Society", indicating her full support of Voldemort's regime, whether or not she knew the truth about who was running it. She has somehow obtained Mad-Eye Moody's magical eye after his death, and uses it to spy on the other Ministry workers from her office. She has also taken Slytherin's locket as a bribe from Mundungus Fletcher after he stole it from 12 Grimmauld Place but was selling without a license. She uses the trinket to solidify her pure-blood credentials, claiming the "S" on the locket stands for "Selwyn", rather than "Slytherin". Harry and his friends manage to penetrate the Ministry and steal the Horcrux back from Umbridge after stunning her during the trial of a Muggle-Born. Despite Harry being unable to conjure a Patronus while wearing the locket due to the malign presence of a piece of Voldemort's soul, Umbridge managed to do so. Rowling explains this is due to Dolores being a "very nasty piece of work" such that the evil object aids her instead of hindering her. Following Voldemort's demise, according to Rowling, Umbridge is arrested, interrogated and sentenced to prison for life in Azkaban for crimes against Muggle-borns. Novelist Stephen King, writing as a book reviewer for 11 July 2003 Entertainment Weekly, noted the success of any novel is due to a great villain, with Umbridge being the "greatest make-believe villain to come along since Hannibal Lecter...".Potter Gold (2003) Entertainment Weekly IGN called Umbridge their 16th top Harry Potter character. Imelda Staunton appeared as Umbridge in the film adaptation of Order of the Phoenix and reprised her role in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1. Percy Weasley Percy Ignatius Weasley is the third son of Arthur and Molly Weasley. In direct contrast to his younger brothers, he is a stickler for rules and often pompous due to his love of authority, though he does have good intentions at heart. When readers first meet Percy in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, he is a Gryffindor prefect, and in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, he becomes Head Boy, much to his mother's delight. In both these circumstances, he becomes physically attached to his badge, wanting to polish it and wear it even when out of school. In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Percy secretly has a girlfriend – Ravenclaw prefect Penelope Clearwater. Academically a high-performing student, Percy received twelve OWLs. When he finished school, this academic distinction secured him a job in the Ministry in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. His immediate supervisor is Barty Crouch Sr; Percy somewhat idolises Mr. Crouch, but Crouch never seems to remember Percy's name, calling him "Weatherby." When Crouch is ill, Percy replaces him as a judge in the second Triwizard Tournament task. In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Percy is promoted to Junior Assistant to Minister Fudge; because Fudge and Dumbledore are at odds over Harry's claim that Voldemort has returned, a dispute between Percy and Arthur erupts, resulting in Percy's subsequent alienation from his family. Although Harry notes he has always liked Percy "the least of Ron's brothers", he is still shocked to hear of this. When Percy learns Ron is made a prefect, he sends him a letter congratulating him for following in his footsteps, and unsuccessfully urges Ron to sever ties with Harry (claiming Harry is an extreme danger to Ron's prefect status), and to pay loyalty to Umbridge and the Ministry – going so far to refer to her as a "delightful woman," much to Harry's and Ron's disgust. Percy later makes an appearance in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, where he has apparently seen the error of his ways and pays an awkward visit to his family with new Minister Rufus Scrimgeour during the Christmas Holidays, although it is later revealed that this was engineered by Scrimgeour in order to speak to Harry alone. He later attends Dumbledore's funeral with Ministry officials, including Dolores Umbridge. In the climax of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Percy returns to his family and manages to make up with all of them, and eventually duels new Minister of Magic and Voldemort puppet Pius Thicknesse in the Battle of Hogwarts. While dueling Thicknesse, Percy announces that he is resigning, the first joke he has made in many years, much to Fred's delight. While dueling alongside Percy, his brother Fred Weasley is killed in an explosion, and Percy clings to the corpse and shields it from further damage. In the last part of the battle, he and his father work together to defeat Thicknesse. His final appearance is in the book's epilogue, at King's Cross Station, talking loudly about broom regulations. Percy is portrayed by Chris Rankin in the films. Others Political commentary In connection with her portrayal of the bureaucratised Ministry of Magic and the oppressive measures taken by the Ministry in the later books (like making attendance to Hogwarts compulsory and the "registration of Muggle-borns" with the Ministry), Rowling has been asked whether there is a parallel with Nazism. She replied that "It wasn't really exclusively that. I think you can see in the Ministry even before it's taken over, there are parallels to regimes we all know and love."J. K. Rowling at Carnegie Hall Reveals Dumbledore is Gay; Neville Marries Hannah Abbott, and Much More People's Weekly World claims that the reader is drawn "into the politics of the wizarding world—the 'Educational Decrees' from the toad-like Ministry of Magic representative, the high-level connections of 'war criminals' from the last rise of Voldemort, the prejudice against 'mudbloods' and 'half-breeds,'" and suggested connections "to the world we live in, to the similarities and differences between the Fudge administration and the Bush administration."Barnett, Jennifer. People's Weekly World Newspaper Harry Potter and the irresistible read, 07/10/03 Slate Magazine also says that Rowling takes jabs at the Bush and Blair administrations suggesting the Ministry's security pamphlet recalls the Operation TIPS (Terrorism Information and Prevention System).Turner, Julia When Harry Met Osama; Terrorism comes to Hogwarts. 20 July 2005 University of Tennessee law professor Benjamin Barton notes what he considers to be libertarian aspects of Harry Potter in his paper, Harry Potter and the Half-Crazed Bureaucracy, published in the Michigan Law Review, stating that "Rowling's scathing portrait of government is surprisingly strident and effective. This is partly because her critique works on so many levels: the functions of government, the structure of government, and the bureaucrats who run the show. All three elements work together to depict a Ministry of Magic run by self-interested bureaucrats bent on increasing and protecting their power, often to the detriment of the public at large. In other words, Rowling creates a public-interest scholar's dream—or nightmare—government."[http://www.michiganlawreview.org/archive/104/6/Barton.pdf Harry Potter and the Half-Crazed Bureaucracy] Michigan Law ReviewBarton, Benjamin, Harry Potter and the Half-Crazed Bureaucracy, Social Science Research Network References External links * The HP-Lexicon talks about the various departments in The Ministry of Magic * Mugglenet page on The Ministry of Magic Category:Harry Potter universe Category:Fictional governments Category:Fictional politicians